TriStar Drywall goes by the book when it comes to paying workers’ compensation and Social Security for its 200 mostly immigrant workers.
But that means its construction bids are often 20 percent higher than some of its competitors who don’t pay those business costs, said Chris Walter, vice president of operations.
That’s unfair to employers that try to make sure their workers are documented, said Walter, attending a Wednesday seminar in Denver on immigration reform and its effect on Colorado employers.
“It’s hard to compete when you try to do everything legally and others don’t,” Walter said. “That really ticks us off. Sometimes I can’t even bid.”
In recent weeks, U.S. senators have wrangled over whether legal status should be granted to an estimated 11 million immigrants living in the United States illegally. Legislation also would create new opportunities for so-called guest workers, an idea supported by President Bush.
In Colorado, the group Defend Colorado Now wants to ban local governments from providing services to undocumented workers other than those mandated by federal law. State and local governments are required to provide public schooling and emergency medical care.
Some Colorado employers feel they get extra scrutiny just for trying to comply with existing laws, said Ron Lessnau, owner of Somip Corp., a Denver restaurant-management company with more than 200 employees.
“I don’t think employers are trying to hire illegal workers, or undocumented workers, but you feel like you’re being singled out,” Lessnau said.
The best thing companies can do to stay on the right side of the law is to verify workers’ Social Security numbers with government offices, said Ann Allott, principal at Allott Immigration Law Firm in Centennial.
“Start with new hires, and do it uniformly,” Allott told attendees at the seminar. If workers don’t have the correct Social Security number, “then they disappear,” she said.
Staff writer Beth Potter can be reached at 303-820-1503 or bpotter@denverpost.com.
